District 9 Candidates Q&A

After council member Elisa Chan vacated her District 9 seat for a failed shot at the Texas Senate, the mayor and City Council ushered in former chair and CEO of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Joe Krier to fill the temporary void in November. Now, the City is holding a special election on May 10 to more permanently fill the spot—that is, until it’s open again next year.

The Current interviewed all four non-incumbent candidates vying for the post (council member Krier was not available for comment).

Corey Clark, small business ownerWhat are your priorities if elected?
I was for the NDO and I definitely think it needed to be in the City Charter. Now ... I want to make that system transparent and have people fully understand what the ordinance protects. I also want to work on basic services—getting the roads fixed, making sure sewage lines are properly maintained [and] done in a timely manner. Because that’s one thing you cannot overlook as a City Council member, the primary services the government offers. If those things need to be fixed, we need to be on top of them first and foremost.

Do you support the streetcar plan?
Personally, I think it’s a great idea. But I can’t support it if I’m on council because it’s not something that my district supports—at least that’s the sense I get.

Weston Martinez, design engineer
What are your priorities if elected?
We got to fight off the debt that we currently have. We have to find a way to increase the road maintenance budget and to take care of emergency services.

Do you support the streetcar plan?
Some people in the race say they want to put it to a vote; not only do I want to put to a vote but I actively want to stop the streetcar. … It’s going to hurt our tourism industry, it’s going to hurt any downtown growth and it’s going to be bad for San Antonio.

Would you have voted for the LGBT non-discrimination ordinance?
I actively worked to try to stop it ... I would have voted against it. It violated free speech and religious freedom.

Bert Cecconi, retired Air Force colonel; retired dentist
What are your priorities if elected?
I think our districts have gotten awfully large, so … we need to think about increasing the number of districts. We also can’t have elected officials serving for $20 a month, they have to have some reasonable compensation.

Do you support the streetcar plan?
I look at as something that is going to happen, so let’s be sure it’s done on budget, on time and it’s an outstanding system … But any other rail projects in the future, it might be wise to bring it to a vote to citizens.

Would you have voted for the LGBT non-discrimination ordinance?
I’m for equal justice for all our citizens and equal rights, whether I agree or disagree with them. We are all under the same Constitution.

Donald Oroian, civil engineer
What are your priorities if elected?
I want to be a voice of technical expertise on the Council ... What’s real important to me is to get another fire station north of [Loop] 1604. I want to augment city code so it’s possible to get certain traffic violations in gated neighborhoods. I also want to help with the unified development code; I think the City Council should have an engineer for that occurrence.

Do you support the streetcar plan?
I’m against it. I don’t think it’s a fiscally responsible project.… It’s going to be a burden on the taxpayers, it’s no different than building a statue. It doesn’t serve a purpose and I can’t agree with it.

Would you have voted for the LGBT non-discrimination ordinance?
There’s no simple yes or no answer. As presented, I would have voted no because the items in there are already covered by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act and federal and state statues. We’re not here to create social legislation, we’re here to make sure the roads don’t have potholes